FAVORITE TEAMS

This past weekend was eventful. What caught my attention was Louisville’s big comeback against Virginia, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers’ return in a big win over Ole Miss, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe carving up Kentucky, Michigan interim coach Sherrone Moore’s tearful postgame comments and Blake Corum’s bloody nose, Missouri quarterback Brady Cook and running back Cody Schrader carving up Tennessee, UCF speedboating over and over against Oklahoma State, Arizona’s escape over Colorado, and Northwestern netting their 5th win this season. Northwestern went through so much heck during the offseason! Amazing!

This weekend, I’ll be in Provo watching and scouting the Oklahoma/BYU game. It’ll be an interesting and hopefully exciting experience. There aren’t much interesting matchups this weekend, but I assure you that there are plenty of trap games. With the regular season finale coming next weekend, it’s likely some teams will overlook their opponent towards the last week of the regular season. Beware that not many teams are safe, especially for the Top 5 matchups. Have a great weekend everyone!

Air Force suffers their second straight loss and quarterback Zac Larrier wasn’t available. I don’t know what to make of their injury report after being bamboozled from the last one when they played Navy. Whether Larrier’s available or not, it doesn’t matter. UNLV’s played hot this season thanks to freshmen quarterback Jordan Maiava, receiver Ricky White, and coach Barry Odom. I expect an upset by UNLV to set up for what could be a conference title preview between these two.

MY PICK: UNLV

Guess who returns to the Top 10 this week? The Dukes of James Madison. They’re 10-0, but the NCAA rejected their postseason ban appeal. Very unfortunate…Anyway, this team’s playing their best football in just their second season at the FBS and their record in two seasons tallies up to 18-3. Appalachian State’s won their last three games after starting the season 3-4. Quarterback Joey Aguilar finally feels comfortable in the offense and should make an impact against a stingy JMU defense. Appalachian State is 6-1 when scoring 30 points or more and are also 12-5 all-time against James Madison. However, they’re playing against a stingy JMU defense and App State hasn’t been that great on the road either. Despite Gameday hyping up the program as an FBS school now, they should manage their way through the hoopla and win outright against their former FCS opponent.

MY PICK: JAMES MADISON

BYU took a beating from Iowa State and lost five of the last seven games since making their debut in Big 12 play. Hopefully they bounce back in time because Oklahoma’s coming to town. Oklahoma’s treading water on a rainy weekend because they’re making their first appearance in LaVell Edwards Stadium and the state of Utah in general. However, they’re 0-2 all-time against BYU (1994 in Arizona and 2009 in Texas). Oklahoma has one chance to net their first ever win before taking off to the SEC. Otherwise, they may never face them again for probably another 15 years. It’ll be wet this weekend, but Oklahoma should manage this game well.

MY PICK: OKLAHOMA

The Chris Klieman Wildcats and the Lance Liepold Jayhawks collide for the most interesting Sunflower Showdown in the Sunflower State. Both lost to Texas and Oklahoma State unfortunately, but Kansas State’s playing better down the stretch. Kansas is already without Jalon Daniels and it’s unclear if Jason Bean will be available after being out with an injury last week. Kansas State’s playing well at the right time and are still in the running for a Big 12 title spot. Hate to say this to the people of Lawrence, but the defending Big 12 title champs have an edge and should win this match.

MY PICK: KANSAS STATE

SMU and Memphis collide to battle for one of the AAC title spots. It’s pretty much an elimination game, which is why it’s a great matchup. SMU crushed most of their opponents they have faced. Quarterback Preston Stone finally comes into his own as SMU’s guy while Miami transfer running back Jaylan Knighton made an impact for the offense that needed a consistent run game. Memphis once again was in plenty of close games, but they’re finishing them this season than they did in the last two. Quarterback Seth Henigan is the guy to watch as he’s been electric. He’s a hard out when the going gets tough, and he has plenty of options to throw to, including Roc Taylor and Demeer Blankumsee. While SMU’s in position to potentially play in the AAC title game, Memphis finally has their opportunity. They’re slightly more formidable offensively and their defense will find a way to make an impact to disrupt Stone’s opportunity.

MY PICK: MEMPHIS

Louisville put themselves in prime position for a possible playoff conversation. The loss to Pittsburgh may have deteriorated their opportunity but being in the Top 10 is a blessing from the committee. Miami had some upsides and downsides. The upsides were big wins over Texas A&M and Clemson. The downsides were losses to Georgia Tech, UNC, NC State, and Florida State which sums up their four losses in the last six games. The quarterback position is an ongoing issue after Miami lost some faith in Tyler Van Dyke and went to backup Emory Williams. Now with Williams’ injury against Florida State, Van Dyke returns to his spot in an attempt to prove himself once again. Louisville lost the last two meetings to Miami in 2019 and 2020. The Cardinals aren’t great on the road or in neutral site and either relies on offense or defense to try escaping the inevitable. Well, this may be the inevitable. Miami has been good at home and Mario Cristobal’s finally comfy with his old stomping grounds of Miami. They will test the quarterback Jack Plummer and see how he handles the pressure in the Miami Gardens.

MY PICK: MIAMI

I’m a little concerned for Texas in Ames, Iowa. These days, Ames is tornado season for opposing Big 12 opponents, especially the good ones. The Longhorns do have Quinn Ewers and need him for what the Cyclones plan to throw at this team. Iowa State’s no slouch and it’s best not to underestimate them. If you don’t know who quarterback Rocco Becht is, get to know him. He has potential as the next good quarterback at Iowa State and he’s played well thus far. He will be tested against Texas’s defense, but his throws could carve up their suspect coverage. On the other end, the front seven lead by Myles Purchase, Caleb Bacon, and JR Singleton will set the tone for this defense to try and shake Ewers out of his comfort zone. Enough of that could set things up for the secondary led by interception leader Jeremiah Cooper. Iowa State will keep this game close from start to finish. This defense is pesky as heck and plan to put everything on Ewers to carry the Longhorns. Iowa State has upset Top 10 Big 12 teams in the past whether it’s in the middle of the season or late in the season. It’s a difficult choice, but I’ll gamble on the Cyclones causing a major upset this weekend.

MY PICK: IOWA STATE

Utah’s reeling towards unranked territory. It’s been an unfortunate season having to go on without Cam Rising, but they’re managing as best as possible with their new starter in Bryson Barnes. To an extent, he’s been a difference maker on offense and kept Utah’s winning hopes alive in most games. He’s a proven starter someday, but he must help Utah finish on a strong note. If Arizona wasn’t the hot topic coming into this weekend, they should be now. Head coach Jedd Fisch did an astounding job with the program and deserves some respect for the progress he’s made with his roster, including a much-needed transfer pick-up like Oregon linebacker Justin Flowe. The player to watch is freshmen quarterback Noah Fifita. He was incredible, even in losing efforts against Washington in a seven-point loss and USC in two overtimes. He’s also the main reason why the Wildcats defeated three-straight ranked opponents and put down Deion Sanders’ Buffs at Boulder. If I wasn’t already taking risks with my top five picks, I’ll continue the trend with Arizona defeating the Utes at home.

MY PICK: ARIZONA

Georgia’s final test in the SEC comes on the road at Knoxville. Georgia had plenty of ups but also had a few downs. They are undefeated at the end of the day and will be in Atlanta in a couple of weeks. However, they can’t overlook Tennessee because they still must play for playoff positioning. With Brock Bowers back in the lineup, the team should be ready for either a slugfest or a runaway opportunity depending on how Tennessee performs. Tennessee slightly declined due to a few key changes on the roster, and it unfortunately led to three losses this season (Florida, Alabama, and Missouri). Quarterback Joe Milton III played well, but not as well as most expected him to, which was the reason why they couldn’t compete well in their three losses. What they need for a bounce back and a major upset against the two-time National Champs is running early and often with Jaylen Wright and company along with Joe Milton. Most importantly, the receivers must step up and carve the secondary in every which way possible with Milton being efficient and on point. If they at least play to the level that Auburn did against Georgia, Tennessee has a chance. Until the results happen for sure, I think Georgia eventually runs away with it and the defense makes life difficult for Milton.

MY PICK: GEORGIA

If you don’t know who Oregon State is, get to know them. They are physical on offense with the combination of quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and running backs Damien Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick. When DJ is on in the passing game, they are pretty lethal with pass-catchers Anthony Gould, Silas Bolden, and Jack Velling accounting for 14 of DJ’s 20 touchdown passes. The Beavers’ defense is very good and very difficult to combat against. If Washington fails to assault the secondary in the air, it’ll be a long game for them. Oregon State can disrupt plays and force turnovers in a heartbeat. Washington’s finding their form offensively with Michael Penix playing up to his Heisman level again. He’s accompanied by running back Dillon Johnson, duo receivers Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, and tight end Jack Westover. However, the defense is a glaring issue. The edge rushers and the secondaries are the strength of the defense, but they’re not great against the run. If they can’t stop the run, the defense as a whole struggle for most of the game. They’re resilient enough to play over their expectations if the offense struggles, but they’re not the best overall. This is a really difficult pick. Oregon State’s been great at home and are a physical team, but they struggle against a fast-paced offense. Meanwhile, Washington’s played like one of the best teams in the nation, but their defense recently struggled since Pac-12 play. I would love to side with the Beavers, but I doubt they have enough to outplay the Huskies.

Here’s a quick note, Washington is underdogs in this matchup. I have no idea why, but I’m assuming they’ll play motivated and angry.

MY PICK: WASHINGTON

WEEK 11 RESULTS: 8-2

TOTAL RESULTS: 59-31

I was bold with my two choices that ended in losses and was close. It is what it is, but I still had a good weekend. This upcoming weekend could be chaotic.